MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. -- On the strength of its two 'A' finalists in the 400-yard individual medley, the No. 21-ranked University of Michigan women's swimming and diving team moved up one spot to sixth place place during day three (Saturday, Feb. 22) of the Big Ten Championship meet held at the University of Minnesota Aquatic Center. Minnesota leads with 573.5 points, more than 150 ahead of the field.

Junior Courtney Beidler(Richboro, Pa./Council Rock South) finished third in the 400 IM, followed closely by teammate freshman Marni Oldershaw(Oakville, Ontario/Iroquios Ridge) in fourth. Beidler's time of 4:10.33 established a new career best and shaved nearly a second off her preliminary time of 4:11.16. It is also the third-fastest time in the 400-yard IM turned in by a Wolverine swimmer.

Oldershaw touched at 4:10.98, nearly three seconds faster than her preliminary time of 4:13.66 and a new career-best. She now holds the fifth-fastest time in the event for a Wolverine swimmer all-time. Both Beidler's and Oldershaw's times are NCAA consideration times.

The night started with the 400-yard medley relay team achieving an NCAA 'A' time and establishing a new school record. The team of freshman Ali DeLoof(Grosse Pointe, Mich./Grosse Pointe South),junior Angela Chokran(South Elgin, Ill./St. Charles North), senior Ashley Cohagen(Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer) and Deirdre Jones(Nashville, Tenn./University School of Nashville) took fifth place with a time of 3:34.71.

All four of the Wolverines on the relay team competed in individual events as well. Chokran placed fifth in the 100-yard breaststroke 'A' final, coming in at 1:00.72. During preliminaries, Chokran swam a 59.80, a career best and a consideration time. Teammate senior Julia Andracki(Arlington Heights, Ill./Prospect) also achieved an NCAA consideration time in the 'B' final, coming in at 1:02.04.

Cohagen also swam in the 'A' final of the 100-yard butterfly, finishing in eighth place. Her time of 53.95 was just behind her career-best preliminary time (53.66). Jones also competed in the 'B' final of the 200-yard freestyle. She took 15th overall with a time of 1:49.63.

DeLoof led a trio of U-M swimmers in the 100-yard backstroke 'B' final. She took 10th overall with a time of 54.09. Cohagen swam in third event of the night and finished 14th with a time of 54.60. Both swimmers achieved NCAA consideration times. Rounding out the Wolverine contingent in the event was freshman Zoe Mattingly(Zionsville, Ind./Zionsville), who finished just behind Cohagen at 54.83 in 16th place.

The Big Ten Championships conclude from Minneapolis on Saturday (Feb. 23) with seven more events: the 200-yard backstroke, the 100-yard freestyle, the 200-yard breaststroke, the 200-yard butterfly, the 1,650-yard freestyle, the 400-yard freestyle relay and platform diving. Preliminaries begin at 11 a.m. CST, with finals following at 6 p.m.